Vehicle top



Jul'y 3, 192s.

M. J. FORRESTER VEHICLE TOP FilBd Aug. 5, 1926 -3' Sheets-Sheet 1 JuIy'B, 1928(k 1,675,539

M. J. FoRREs-rER y muon: Tor l Filed Aug. s, 192e s sheets-sheet 2 "lll lll BY l July 3,` 1928;

M. J. FORRESTER vEHxCLE To? Filed Aug. 5. 1926 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 CII Patented `July 3, 192s.

UNITED ySTATES y i 1,615,539 PATENT oFF-ice.

.iffoititnsrnnporlAsrclsImQNEw ronx,f assrdioaro"1rrn AvnNUE concncomnnr, Acoaron'rron or 'NEW Yom;

VEHICLE d applicati@ med August 5, 19261. serial No. 127,240.

Thisinvention relates to`v`ehicletops,.de signed more particularly to cover the` upper deck of a double-deckpassenger vehicle o-r bus. `In atype `of vehiclel of this character now in verygeneral use, the upper deck is furnishedswith.two` rows of seats/one at either side, between .which ,is anv aisle runninglongitudinally of the deck and through which `aisle kthe ,passengers pass in. gaining accesstoethe seatsythe. aisle being covered by a vehicle `top to'p-rotect the passengers against inclement weather. `It is of great importance.` that the `Inagirnlim head roo'xn, within the ,allowable limits of the height of thevehicle top, be provided for the aisle,

and thatthatpart Aofthe top extending directlylover "the, aisle be unobstructed `and smooth on itsunderside, so as to afford the `greatest facility, and comfort to Athe. pasv sengers traversing. the aisle, and as .farlas possible avoiding `the necessity. of the passengers assuming a stoopng posture in pass` ing to the seats.

i `With: these and other objectsin view the invention yconsists of au vehicle topof improved form and arrangement, `which vwill be `fullyi described `in the :specification to follow,.,`and the novel features thereof `set forth in the` appended claims. y

v In the accompanying drawings:

, Fig. l isa side elevationof the body portion'of aadouble deck passenger ,vehicle` or bus, showing `the sameequipped with a vehicle tophavingamy invention embodied therein, portions of the said top being broken away to better. show the i, detail .construction` Fig,`2is top plan view ofthe same with partsjbroken away. y

onA an enlarged scale on the lines `Sffof Figs. 1 and 2.

Figeyis @transverse section on the line 4--4 of Fig. 2.

Referring ite' the @savings 1 designates the body of a-double deck passenger vehicle having an upper deck 2;

and 3 designates a vehicle top covering the upper deck. Two rows of' seats 4 are ar` Fig'is aAtra-nsverse sectional elevation;

portions? and 8 rising from the sides and ends of the deck 2, and a roof portion .i9 supported hy and forming an upward continuation of the side and end portions, and it is in the detailed `forni andconstruction of this roof portion with which my invention is concerned. 1

The 4roof portion 9 comprises two longi-` tudinal spaced roof rails 10 4extending on either side ,of the aisle space 5` and connected and supported at their ends w trans-v versely extending end arc-hed ribs 11, located respectively at the opposite endsfof` the structure. `Two series of transverse ribs 12 are arranged between the respective longitudinal vrails 10 and thev side portions of theY top, the

inner ends of said ribs being,r attached to the outer sides of the longitudinal rails respectively, `and extending `outwardly and downwardly therefrom, khave their opposite ends fn'mly fixed to side railsl` built in the sides of thc top structure as best shown in Fig.

3. The attachment of these ribs to the roof fected in any suitable appropriatemannci'.

`ln thepresent instance this `is eifectedby bent laterally and fastened to the sides of the respective rails `10,and ,13, `angle irons 15 beingrfastened tothe `opposite sides of the `,ribs and .to` said railsl so as to further brace and strengthen the connection of these para. i. i

A roof sec-tion 16, inthe present instance in `the form ofa metallic'plate preferably of aluminum, isifastened to the upper sides of ,the roof railsflOQso-asto cover the longitudinal space-between `the rails and thus nfford a roof covering "for the aisle space. Thisplate/is seated at its; opposite edges in longitudinal `recesses 17 fori'ned in the upper sides ofthel roof rails 10 alongr their inner edges, thefforin and relative' arrange` nient of these partsheing such that when so seated, the upper surface `*of the roof plate Willbe flush with the upper surface of the roof rails;` and the roof plate is covered with a non-1netallic sheathing 18 preferably of canvas which is extended at its opposite edges beyond the edges `of the roo-f plate and is fastened by suitable means 'to the upper sides of the roof rails as best shown in 4. y y From the construction described, it will rails `1,0 and the side rails 13 may bev efbe seen that the under surface of the roof plate 16 is disposed in a plane above that of the under surface of the transverse ribs at the point where they are connected with theroof rails, thereby providing over the aisle an additional head room correspond ing to the thickness of the ribs, the underside of the roof plate being smooth and unobstructed7 so that there will be no danger of the heads of the passengers in traversing the aisle, coming in contact with overhead obstructions such as would be constituted by the transverse ribs were they extended continuously across the central portion of the vehicle top. It is to be noted in this connection that the roof plate extends as an uninterrupted continuation of the general contour of the vehicle top, and that the additional head room afforded as above mentioned, is gained without increasing the over all heightof the top. This is an important consideration in the use of covered busses in cities where, on account of over head obstructions, such as trees, elevated structures, and the like, the height of the tops must be confined within certain limitations. l

Channels 19 are formed in the upper sides of the roof rails to receive electric conductor wires 20, and dome lights 21 are supported by and depend from the under sides of said rails.

Vertical columns 22 extend. upwardly from the deck 2 at opposite sides of the aisle and give support at their upper ends to the roof rails between the end ribs 11 supportingthe ends of said rails.

The open spaces in the vehicle top between the transverse ribs 12 maybe covered by a permanent roof covering, or in lieu thereof curtains 23 may be provided,

which as shown in Fig. 3, are'fastened at their inner edges to the roof rails and are adapted to be rolled downwardly and outwardly over the ribs and fastened at their lower edges to the side rails 13 as at 24, thereby constituting a cover or top for the structure, which, in fair weather may be folded, and in inclement weather extended to afford protection to the passengers.

In the foregoing description and accompaying drawings I have set forth my invention'in the particular detailed form and construction of the parts which I prefer to adopt, but it will be understood that the invention is not limited to these details which may be variously changed without departing from the spirit of the invention and further it will be understood that the invention is not limited to the particular form or construction of the parts except in so far as such limitations are specified in the claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In a vehicle top the combination of two longitudinally extending transversely spaced roof rails7 transverse roof supporting ribs having their inner ends abutting against and fastened to the outer' sides'of the rails and extending thence outwardly and downwardly in continuous curves and supported at their lower ends in the sides of the vehicle top, and a roof plate fastened to the upper sides of the rails and bridging the space between them and forming an uninterrupted continuation of the contour of the vehicle top, said plate being free and un` obstructed on its under side, and said transverse ribs being adapted to give support to a roof covering extending outwardly in opposite directions from thelongitudinal roof rails flush with said roof plate.

2. In a vehicle .top adapted to cover a vehicle deck having a passenger aisle thereon, and a row of seats on each side of the aisle,the combination of two longitudinal roof rails extending above and at the sides oll the aisle, transverse roof supporting ribs having their inner ends abutted against and secured to the outer sides of the rails and extending thence outwardly and downwardly in continuous curves over the two rows of seats, and supported at their lower ends in the sides of the vehicle top, and a roof plate fastened to the upperzsides ofthe rails and bridging the space between them so as to cover the aisle, and forming an uninterrupted continuation of the contour of the vehicle top, said plate being unobstructed on its under side; whereby head room is afforded in the aisle of a height greater by the vertical thickness of the longitudinal rails less the thickness of the roof plate than the greatest height of the spaces over the passengers seats.

In testimony whereof, I have affixed my sigliature hereto.

MICHAEL J. FoRREsTER. 

